


Cow Chop One-Shots

by brutalitytailor



Category: Cow Chop, The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: AU, Angst, Car Accident, College AU, Coming Out, Cow Chop - Freeform, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fear, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, NovaHD - Freeform, Sickfic, Smut, YouTube, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-09 19:11:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7813768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brutalitytailor/pseuds/brutalitytailor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I've started a collection of one-shots! They'll mostly be Aleks/James but I may do some others.</p><p>If you have requests/prompts, you can put them in the comments or send them to me on <a href="http://www.koots-chop.tumblr.com/ask">Tumblr</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roller Coaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cow Chop boys go to Disneyland. James is dreading the roller coasters.

Chapter 1 - James P.O.V. - Roller Coaster

It was “field trip day” at the Cow Chop house, and I was pretty much dreading it.

Aleks, Trevor, Aron, Joe, and I were meeting up with Brett at Disneyland. Don’t get me wrong, Disneyland is awesome. But my friends had a tendency to force me onto things that I didn’t want to do.

I fucking hated roller coasters. I hated anything to do with heights, but roller coasters were the worst. The absolute choking fear that came with them was unbearable to me. I didn’t even like standing outside of them. Aleks was scared of them too, but less so. Aron and Joe loved them, and just like Jordan, they loved to goad me into them, teasing me until I felt ridiculous.

So I was shitting myself as we got in the Uber from the airport to head to the park. The rest of the guys were nearly vibrating with excitement, unable to shut up about the rides.

“James, we should get hot dogs for lunch!” Joe elbowed me in the ribs gently. I forced a smile and nodded. No one seemed to notice my panic, which I suppose was a good thing. I didn’t need to be made fun of before we even got there.

One painfully slow car ride later, we arrived. Brett was waiting for us out front, already sporting a pair of Mickey ears and grinning like an idiot.

We all bought our shit and went in together. Aleks and Brett immediately started whispering to each other, which was my cue to let the real fear set in. Brett was probably strong enough to physically drag me onto rides.

I kept to myself for a while, distancing myself from Aleks and sticking to Joe’s side, hoping he’d take pity on me if something were to happen. We walked around for a good while, eating food and buying character ears. I got myself a beanie with Mickey ears attached, laughing wickedly as I pulled it on.

I’d almost completely forgotten about roller coasters, and was starting to have a really great time, when suddenly, Aleks whooped behind us.

“Splash Mountain!” Brett cheered, running ahead of us to the front of the ride.

My heart immediately fell into my stomach. I stopped walking, forcing myself to look up at the ride. The big drop at the very top loomed over me, water rushing down in anticipation of people coming down the hill. A few seconds later, a car came over the top. I watched in horror as it went over the side, people screaming bloody murder as they splashed down into the bottom.

I’d never ridden it before, and I didn’t plan to.

“Okay, let’s go!” Aron was practically skipping toward the line. Trevor followed, holding down his Goofy hat so it wouldn’t fly off.

“I’m good.” I shuffled backwards, towards the benches.

“No way! You’re definitely riding this with us!” Aleks grabbed both my wrists, pulling me back toward the ride. “Come on, James, it’ll be fun. I promise. You’ll probably love this once you’ve ridden it.”

“Aleksandr, you know how I feel about roller coasters. And heights. I couldn’t even fucking handle the Oculus Rift version. I’m not fucking riding this.”

“James, come on. You’re being a party pooper. It’s not that bad. You won’t even realize it’s happening. I know it looks scary, but it isn’t.” Brett stood next to me.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun! You can ride with me!” Joe bounced on my other side, grinning wildly.

“No.” I tugged away from Aleks’ grip, crossing my arms.

“James. Don’t make me make you.” Brett threatened. Aleks pulled at my arms. Joe tugged at my t-shirt. Aron and Trevor stood at the line, waiting for us.

“Please, I’m begging you. Don’t make me do this. I can’t do this.” My heart was hammering painfully in my chest, threatening to burst out.

“Come on. Ride this one and maybe we won’t make you do another one today.” Brett started to push me toward the line. I struggled for a minute, but was successfully pushed into line, sandwiched between Aleks and Brett so that I wouldn’t try to escape.

My throat burned, making the threat of tears. If I cried, they’d definitely make fun of me for the rest of time.

As the line drew near, I hugged myself, staring at the ground. I didn’t want to look at the warning signs. I didn’t want to watch people getting on and off. I didn’t want to see how happy my friends were to make me do this.

And suddenly, it was our turn to get on. Aleks grabbed my arm, shoving me into the second row before he climbed in next to me, which kind of surprised me. I situated myself into the corner of the car, water immediately seeping into my jeans. I gaped down in realization.

“There’s not even a lap bar?” I hissed. Aleks shrugged, tugging his backpack off and shoving it behind his legs so it had less of a chance of getting wet.

The ride lurched into motion. I felt myself start to shake. Fear pulsed through me, almost worse than on the gondola ride we’d taken last year.

We started through the little caves and such. Aleks shifted closer.

“The first two hills are fakeouts. They’re just to take us higher up. There’s no drop on those. The third one isn’t so bad. And the fourth one is the last one. That’s it. Just four hills, two of which don’t drop.” He looked at me. I didn’t respond. I don’t think I had the capability to.

The first hill approached, yielding nothing but a little river bend. The second was the same.

As we neared the third, I collapsed into myself, wishing I were literally anywhere else. I felt someone pat me on the shoulder behind us, presumably Joe.

My eyes were burning, tears threatening to surface. I chewed at my lip, willing them away as we neared the third hill.

There was no up. We were suddenly at the edge and the only place to go was down.

The hill was small. But it was fast and it took my breath away. It was enough to send me over the edge.

I turned my head away from Aleks as tears started to roll down my cheeks. I reached up to try and wipe them away, hoping they thought it was just the water from the ride. My breath hitched and forced myself to hold it for a second so that it wouldn’t come out in a sob.

Luckily, it got dark as we entered a cave with all the animatronics. I couldn’t force myself to pay any attention to them.

“James, are you okay?” Aleks asked next to me. I didn’t dare turn to look at him or say anything. I felt him grab my arm, shaking it a little. “James. Look at me. Are you crying?” He said quietly. I sniffled involuntarily, hands trembling as I reached to rub at my face.

I jumped as Aleks scooted into my side, his arm going around my shoulders.

“I didn’t realize you were this scared.” He actually sounded remorseful for the first time in his life. I let out a shaky breath, allowing myself to glance at him.

“I tried to tell you I couldn’t handle it and you literally pushed me onto the ride.” My voice was shaking, ruining any kind chance I could pretend I was fine. The ride was suddenly going up, jolting us onto the track. I whimpered.

Aleks suddenly grabbed my head, forcing my face into the place between his neck and his shoulder. I reached for him, clenching a handful of his shirt. He was rubbing my back lightly with his thumb, his other hand resting on the back of my head. My body was heaving now. I was unable to make myself calm down. This was true panic.

I could feel a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. Probably Joe again.

“Whoo! Here we go! Are you having fu-... oh.” Brett must have turned around from the front row then, finally catching on to what was happening behind him.

“Here we go, James. Take a deep breath, okay? I’ve got you.” Aleks said, just loud enough for me to hear. I took a deep breath. A light shone in front of my eyelids.

And then we were falling. Too fast and too far. I let the breath out involuntarily, a sob ripping from my throat. A splash of water came for us, completely soaking the whole right side of my body. I opened my eyes. We were at the bottom now, going around the bend to the exit.

I lifted my hand to wipe the water from my face. I was shaking so badly that it almost hurt. My heart was still pounding. I was also still pressed into Aleks’ side, the top of my head still wedged between his shoulder and his jaw. He’d taken his hand off my head, but was still rubbing at my shoulder blade with his thumb.

“You okay?” he asked, glancing down at me. I managed a nod.

We all got off the ride. I shakily stumbled over to one of the benches, sitting before my legs gave out under me. Joe ran toward me, nearly breaking the bench as he hugged me tightly.

“James, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were so scared!”

“It’s okay.” I couldn’t help but smile, hugging him back.

“We probably should have listened to you, bud.” Brett patted my shoulder, giving me an apologetic look. Aron and Trevor both looked kind of confused, having missed the whole thing.

Aleks sat on my other side, sighing. He gave a light smile.

“No more roller coasters for James, okay?” he glanced around. Everyone nodded. He looked at me. “Teacups?”

“Fuck yeah! I’m gonna make Brett throw up. Payback.” I smirked at Brett, who went kind of pale, but nodded and grinned anyway.

We all got up and started toward the teacups. I grabbed Aleks’ hand, pulling him back toward me.

“Thank you, Aleksandr.” I said. He smiled and bumped me with his shoulder.

“Anything for my best friend.”


	2. Migraine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleks has a killer migraine and thinks he can handle it himself. When it gets worse, he calls James to help him.

Chapter 2 - Aleks’ P.O.V. - Migraine (Aleks/James)

It was about four in the morning, and I had the worst migraine I’d ever experienced in my whole life. The kind where even opening your eyes was like stabbing yourself in the forehead.

It was pitch black in my room. I’d shut the lights off hours ago in hopes that it would help. I’d taken headache medicine. The pounding never stopped. In fact, it seemed worse than it had been a few hours ago.

I pushed myself onto my elbows, gritting my teeth. I managed to push myself to the edge of the bed and shakily get myself to my feet. I felt for my phone and shoved it in the pocket of my joggers. Every step across the room shot more needles into my head. I wanted to lie on the floor and pray for death. Instead, I managed to get myself to the ensuite bathroom, where I knelt on the floor and felt around until I found the tap to run myself a bath in the dark.

I listened to the bath fill, closing my eyes. The brief thought to call someone ran through my head. I immediately nixed that idea, positive that it would only make me embarrassed on top of feeling like shit.

I turned the tap off and managed to shrug off my clothes. I climbed carefully into the bath, settling into the hot water. I could hear Mishka pawing at the bedroom door, out in the hallway. She liked it when I took baths. She always sat by the tub and licked the water off my hands when I reached to pet her.

I don’t know how long I sat in the bath, eyes closed, willing just a little of the pain to slip away. Just any kind of break.

Instead, my stomach lurched, and I barely had enough time to throw myself across the room before I was vomiting violently, head close to bursting with the exertion. I threw up two separate times before I was able to sit back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I felt for the handle and flushed.

“Okay… I need to call somebody.” My own voice sounded pitiful and meek to my ears. I crawled on my hands and knees back to my clothes and sat up against the bathtub. I winced as I turned my phone on, quickly lowering the brightness as much as possible.

I scrolled through my contacts. Aron was definitely out. Brett was in California. With Trevor things would just be awkward. My only viable options were James and Joe.

I pondered for a moment, thumb hovering between them. A pulse shot through my head and I settled on James, bringing the phone to my ear.

It rang four times. I closed my eyes. He had to pick up.

“What the fuck, Aleksandr? It’s like four thirty in the morning.” His voice was heavy with sleep. I could practically hear him sitting up and rubbing his eyes as he glared at the digital clock on his bedside table.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you… I kinda need help.” I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. Every word hurt to say.

“What? What happened? Are you okay?” His tone changed immediately. He sounded worried now, panicked.

“I have this really bad migraine. I thought it was just a headache. But I’ve been awake for hours and it won’t fucking go away. I thought I could handle it, but I just puked. I’m not okay.”

“I’ll be there in a couple of minutes, okay? Just stay where you are.” I heard the sound of keys jangling. This meant he was already at the front door.

“Okay.” We both hung up. I shakily reached to pull my clothes back on, going as slowly as I could. By the time I was fully dressed, I could hear the sound of the front door unlocking downstairs. Mishka whined at James, probably begging for attention. I listened to him climb the stairs and open the bedroom door.  
“Aleks?”

“In here.” I managed. Mishka was already there at my side, sniffing me. I listened to his footsteps come toward me. Even that small sound alone was enough to make it worse.

“I won’t turn the light on. Do you feel like you might get sick again?” he was speaking very softly, well aware that I was in a great deal of pain.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I tried to take a bath but I almost blew chunks all over the bathroom. It didn’t help anyway. Neither did medicine.”

“Alright, well let’s give you another dose when we’re sure you can keep it down. And we need to get you into bed.” He knelt beside me. I expected him to help me to my feet and walk me back to bed. Instead, I let out an involuntary gasp as he grabbed me fireman style. I wrapped my arms around his neck on instinct.

“I can walk.” I croaked.

“It’s easier on both of us if I just carry you.” He took me back into the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed. I listened to him walk away for a second, and when he came back, I started at the feeling of a cold washcloth being laid against my forehead. The mattress dipped as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He tapped what felt like a thermometer against my nose and I opened my mouth, letting him slip it inside.

A few seconds later, it beeped. He pulled it out, warning me as he turned on his phone screen to look at the reading.

“No fever. It must just be one hell of a migraine. I feel your pain. I used to get them almost every day a while back.”

We sat in silence for a little while. Neither of us moved.

“I’m really sorry for waking you up. I just got scared. I’ve never thrown up with a migraine before.” I sighed.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You would have done the same for me,” The sound of pills rattling in a bottle made me wince a little. Two pills were pressed into my hand, and then a cold glass of water. “You need to take these. I’m hoping it’ll help a little this time.”

I sat up a little and swallowed both the pills, willing them to stay down. I handed him back the glass and settled back down into the mattress. A little bit more comfortable silence.

“You can go home and go back to bed if you want. I’ll probably be okay now.” In all honesty, I didn’t want him to go. Just his presence alone seemed to take the edge off the pain. It made me feel better, at least, to have him here in case I got sick again. I felt like a child.

“Nah, I’ll stick around. If I don’t, I’ll just worry. Nudge over.” Without warning, I heard his shoes hit the ground and he was wiggling his way in next to me. I scooted over, allowing him to slide under the covers.

We’d shared hotel beds before. But we’d never stayed in the same bed at each other’s houses. I always slept on an air mattress or on the couch. So this felt way different. A little weird.

Yet oddly… comforting.

He settled in next to me, letting out a content sigh.

As I laid there, eyes closed, listening to the even sounds of his breathing, the ache slowly started to fade. I felt the tension seem to leak out of my body.

And before I knew it, I was slipping into sleep with the feeling of his warmth against my side.

“Goodnight, Aleksandr.” he whispered before I fell completely into slumber.

~~~

I awoke the next morning to the sound of gentle snoring. I cracked my eyes open, just enough to stare at the ceiling. It was light outside now. Something very warm and very heavy was pressed into my side. I turned my head slightly. James was asleep beside me, turned to face me, his forehead pressed into my shoulder.

I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face. It felt right of have him here. I studied all the features of his face with my eyes.

All traces of the migraine seemed to be gone, aside from a small ache behind my eyes. It was manageable, though, enough so that it didn’t hurt when I turned onto my side, trying not to jostle him awake.

My attempts failed, and I cursed myself as he stirred, eyes opening a little to look at me confusedly.

“Aleks.” he muttered groggily.

“Morning.” I replied, rubbing at my eyes.

“How’s the head?” he had his own eyes closed again, seeming unwilling to wake up.

“It’s fine now.”

“Good. Now go back to sleep.” he waved his hand vaguely in my direction. I snickered and rolled my eyes.

“Alright, fine.” And with that, I shifted closer and closed my eyes again, trying to ignore how much I suddenly wanted to kiss him.


	3. Sweet As Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Person A and B are roommates that live together in a dorm. Their neighbor (whom Person A finds hella fucking cute), Person C, knocks on their door and asks if they have any sugar.  
> Person B pushes Person A out of the dorm, stating that “They’re as sweet as can be.”  
> BONUS: B locks the door and refuses to let A in until A and C talk to each other.  
> [Found Here!](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/148534752379/person-a-and-b-are-roommates-that-live-together-in)

Chapter 3 - James’ P.O.V. - Sweet as Sugar (James/Aleks) College AU

 

Prompt: Person A and B are roommates that live together in a dorm. Their neighbor (whom Person A finds hella fucking cute), Person C, knocks on their door and asks if they have any sugar.  
Person B pushes Person A out of the dorm, stating that “They’re as sweet as can be.”  
BONUS: B locks the door and refuses to let A in until A and C talk to each other.

It was a rainy, gross Tuesday afternoon in November. Joe - my roommate - and I sat in our dorm in almost complete silence, studying for the next test we had in History.

Joe was a good roommate. He kept me on task with studying, helped me with shit I didn’t know, never brought girls back to our room, and most importantly, he listened to me bitch and moan about my life problems.

I set my book down and whined for about the thirtieth time. I leaned back against the headboard, covering my face and rubbing at my eyes.

“Either you’re thinking about Aleks again or you’re not understanding something.” Joe guessed from the desk chair. I shot him a look, which immediately turned into a sheepish smile. He groaned, but he was smiling too.

“Look, I just can’t quit thinking about him. He’s cute as fuck. All the time. And it’s effortless.” I slid down to lie in the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Then why don’t you go talk to him? You’ve been drooling over him since we came back in August, but you refuse to try to even say ‘hey’ in the hallway!” Joe insisted.

“Aleksandr Marchant has no time for me. He’s too busy having lots of friends and being adorable. Besides, he probably isn’t gay.” I rolled onto my stomach, hugging my pillow. Joe sighed and sat back in his chair.

“I’m telling you man, I’ve heard him talking about guys before. He could very well be gay. You have to take a chance. Introduce yourself.”

We stared each other down for a moment. I was about to counter with an excuse, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Joe and I both got up and went to answer it.

Joe swung the door open to reveal none other than Aleks Marchant, who lived in the dorm room across from us. I immediately felt my heart pick up to double speed, and my palms started to sweat.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” I murmured under my breath. Joe elbowed me in the side.

“Hey, Aleks! What’s up?” Joe was literally always friendly. There was never a day where he was unhappy or rude. Joe was the kind of person who had a contagious smile and refused to give up until you were just as happy as he was.

“Hey, sorry to bother you guys. I was making coffee and I realized I didn’t have any sugar. You wouldn’t happen to have any, would you?” Aleks leaned up against the doorway, smiling sweetly. I could feel myself melting into the ground. He looked between us. I felt myself blush darker every time his gaze swept over me.

Joe glanced at me, something mischievous in his eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows.

Without warning, he shoved me into the hallway. Aleks barely had time to jump out of the way as I stumbled for a second, whirling around. Joe pointed at me, grinning wickedly.

“He’s sweet as can be.” he said, and then the door slammed shut in my face. Panic rose in my chest and I reached to open the door, freezing when I realized he’d locked it. And my key was still inside.

“Shit.” I murmured.

"Talk to each other!" Joe yelled from the other side of the door, voice muffled.

“What was that about?” Aleks questioned, but he looked amused. I flushed darker.

“Joe loves to torture me.” I shrugged one shoulder, giving a nervous laugh. Aleks giggled, backing toward his dorm.

“Well, care to come stay in my room for a bit? My roommate Aron is in class.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.

I felt like time had stopped completely. I was staring wide-eyed at Aleks, brain trying to process what he’d just said to me. THE Aleks Marchant, the one I’d been swooning over for a whole semester, was inviting me back to his room.

“U-uh, yeah! Sure!” I said, far too long of a pause later. He seemed happy with my answer, turning to unlock his door. He pushed it open and motioned for me to go in first. I took a deep breath and walked inside.

It looked pretty much the same as Joe and I’s room. Two plain beds, some random pictures hanging on the wall, two desks, and a small kitchenette area. It looked relatively tidy, which could not be said for our room.

I walked over to his side, looking at the pictures on the wall. There was one of him and a girl, smiling, his arm around her. My heart sank immediately. I felt a little like I was going to throw up.

“That’s my friend Stefani. She went to a community college in Littleton while I came here. We don’t really talk anymore, sadly.” He was bustling around behind me, probably looking for something to use as a replacement for sugar.

“That’s too bad.” I said, spirits lifting immediately. I turned back toward him. He was sipping his coffee, pulling a face that told me it was way too bitter for him. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Don’t laugh at me, it’s bitter as fuck.” Aleks laughed, setting the mug down on the counter.

“When Joe lets me back in, I’ll grab you some sugar.” I promised.

We stood looking at each other for a second.

“So you’re a sophomore too, right?” Aleks asked, leaning against the edge of the counter. I nodded, lowering myself into his desk chair. I tried not to think about his ass being in this chair. Or his ass in general. “I thought so. I was always too shy to ask, though. Which is silly, considering I see you just about every day.” He gave a sheepish smile. I sat frozen in shock. Too shy? To talk to me? What?

“I’m just a guy, really. Joe’s my only friend. You don’t have to be scared to talk to me or anything.” I assured him, leaning forward in my seat. He seemed to find real interest in his shoes then, a small smile still on his face.

“Well, I mean, the truth is, I’ve always kind of had a crush on you.” He looked up at me then. We looked each other in the eye for a moment. My heart stopped beating. My brain shut down. All I could do was gape at him.

“What?” I managed.

“Yeah… I saw you at move-in in August and just kinda… developed a huge crush on you. You can ask Joe. I’ve been talking to him about it.” The connection clicked in my head. Joe telling me to go for it. Take a chance.

“That motherfucker.” I said out loud. Aleks looked highly confused. I shook my head. “No, no. Not you. Joe. He’s… okay, listen,” I took a deep breath. “I’ve been talking to Joe about you, too. A lot.”

“You have? Why?” Aleks had a hopeful look on his face now. One that was so endearing that I wanted to scream.

“Well, I kinda have a huge crush on you, too. Joe’s known this whole time. He kept dropping hints to me and I didn’t realize.”

“Oh my god, he’s been doing the same thing to me.” Aleks was laughing now, the smile on his face bright enough to blind someone.

“So we’ve liked each other this whole time?” My face almost hurt from smiling. The butterflies in my stomach had turned into mad bees. Aleks nodded.

“I guess we have.”

“Jesus Christ. I can’t believe this is happening.” I stood up, resisting the urge to pinch myself. Aleks giggled, walking toward me.

“I guess we should hang out some. Are you free for dinner later?”

“I am.” I replied. He was right in front of me now, so close that I could have reached out and kissed him if I wanted to.

“Then it’s a date.” Without warning, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. He pulled away and we both flushed bright red.

“Fuck yeah!” Two voices sounded from the doorway simultaneously. We both jumped. Joe and Aron were standing there, high-fiving each other. I rolled my eyes and Aleks groaned, covering his face.

“I’m gonna go get you some sugar.” I murmured. Before I walked out and into our room, I pressed a kiss to his forehead, heart exploding from the beaming look on Aleks’ face.


	4. Be Okay (Aleks/James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Person A is watching the news and sees a report about a terrible accident on the road Person B uses on their way home from work. The reporter says there was only one fatality and Person A starts screaming when Person B’s destroyed car is shown.
> 
> [Found Here](http://otp--prompts.tumblr.com/post/121739341501/person-a-is-watching-the-news-and-sees-a-report)

Chapter 4 - James P.O.V. - Be Okay (James/Aleks)

Prompt: Person A is watching the news and sees a report about a terrible accident on the road Person B uses on their way home from work. The reporter says there was only one fatality and Person A starts screaming when Person B’s destroyed car is shown.

It was nearing five o’clock and Aleks was late to work. He promised he’d be in on time today - right at four. We were supposed to record late into the night to try and finish Dark Souls. But here I was, sitting on the couch in costume, and I hadn’t even gotten a text from him yet.

“Did he forget or something?” Aron muttered as he fiddled with the camera. I shrugged one shoulder, checking my phone again. Nothing from Aleks.

I stood, walking into the kitchen. Trevor stood scrolling through his phone. I brushed past him, pulling my face beard off.

“Uhhh…” he said quietly. I raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him. He stood gaping at his phone, eyes wide.

“What?” I asked. “Did you get verified on Twitter or something?”

“No…” he held his phone out to me, hand shaking. I furrowed my eyebrows and took it from him, looking down.

It was a news video on the local news channel’s Twitter. I clicked on it and turned the volume up.

“I’m standing here on the sight of a car accident between Greene and Maple. It appears to be a three-car pile-up. So far, there is only one confirmed fatality. None of the victims have been identified yet.”

The camera panned over to a car, which was completely destroyed, lying upside down on the road.

My heart plummeted into my stomach and I took in a gasp of air.

It’s was Aleks’ car.

I opened my mouth to say something, and instead all that came out was a sort of strangled scream. Trevor took his phone out of my hand, running toward the door. I followed, snatching my car keys off the counter.

“What? What is it?” Joe was running down the stairs, face pink and pillow lines etched into his cheek. He was probably asleep in Brett’s guest bed.

“It’s Aleksandr!” I yelled, already running out the door. I didn’t check to see if they followed behind me. Trevor was already in the passenger side, talking hurriedly about how it couldn’t be him, it was probably someone else.

I started the car, all but hyperventilating. I heard the back two doors close, indicating that Joe and Aron must have indeed followed behind.

“She said Greene and Maple, right?! Greene and Maple.” I backed out of the driveway and wasted no time in flooring it. Greene and Maple was a small intersection that I knew for sure Aleks passed through every day on his way to the Cow Chop House.

I could feel myself starting to cry as we got closer. I could feel myself shaking and couldn’t control it.

All I could think about was the fact that my best friend could be dead.

Suddenly, we were there. I pulled over onto the side of the road and jumped out of the car, where an ambulance door was closing.

“Please, wait!” I screamed, running across the road without looking. The EMT looked up, confusing flashing across his face.

“Are you a relative of one of the victims?”

“No - but - yes - but, Aleks! Aleksandr Marchant! That’s his car!” I sobbed, thrusting my hand toward his car, where someone was taking pictures of the damage.

“We don’t know exactly who that is. All the victims but this one have been taken to the hospital. I’m sorry, sir, but we have to go. St. Andrew’s Hospital is where you need to be headed.” he went and got into the ambulance without another word.

I bolted back to the car, jumping in and immediately pulling out into traffic. I ignored the blaring honk behind me and floored it.

“What’s happening? Is he okay?” Joe asked from the backseat, voice trembling.

“St. Andrew’s Hospital. He didn’t know who was alive and who wasn’t.”

We were there seven minutes later. All four of us ran inside, immediately to the front desk.

“Please, ma’am, I need to see Aleks Marchant.” I was blatantly crying in front of this random stranger, but I didn’t care. She seemed to notice my being upset, immediately typing on her computer. She looked up at me.

“He’s in room 207. The ICU.” She responded. I was running before she could get the last letter of ‘ICU’ out.

The elevator was painfully slow. As it got to the second floor, I took a deep breath and let it out.

“He has to be okay.” I whimpered. Joe grabbed my sleeve, tears brimming in his eyes.

The elevator doors open and I bolted down the hall, eyes scanning the numbers.

205… 206… 207.

I pushed the door open, bracing myself to see Aleks hooked up to a breathing tube, clinging to life. Or worse, dead.

Instead, I was met with the sight of him sitting up in the hospital bed, a nurse studying the IV next to him.

He looked up as I burst in. Our eyes met. He raised an eyebrow.

“James, why are you dressed in your Dark Souls outfit?” he asked.

I looked down. I was indeed still wearing my Dark Souls “character outfit”.

I let out something between a laugh and a sob, walking quickly over to his bedside. I grabbed his head and forced it into my stomach, hugging tightly.

“Jesus Christ, Aleksandr, we thought you were dead.” I blubbered. He managed to pull away from me, grabbing my hands.

“I’m okay. I know my car probably looked bad, but I’m honestly alright.”

“He’s got two broken ribs and and three broken fingers. Not to mention a concussion. But yes, relative to the situation, he’s fine.” The nurse working on his IV offered, giving me a sympathetic smile.

Trevor, Joe, and Aron were all crowded around him now, smiling. Aleks flashed me a thumbs up, giving a weak grin.

“Sorry I was late. To be fair, I had an excuse this time.” he said.

All I could do was roll my eyes and sit down on the edge of the hospital bed.

“You’re an idiot, Aleks.”


	5. Singing in the Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt](http://otp--prompts.tumblr.com/post/108810341396/person-a-catches-person-b-singing-in-the-shower): Person A catches Person B singing in the shower and uses it as a way to playfully tease Person B.
> 
> AKA, Aleks realized James can actually sing.

Chapter 5 - Singing in the Shower (James/Aleks) - Aleks' P.O.V.

Prompt: Person A catches Person B singing in the shower and uses it as a way to playfully tease Person B.

I stepped into the Cow Chop house and leaned down to unclip Mishka’s leash. Almost immediately, Ein came skittering around the corner, a sign that James was already here. The dogs ran off to play with each other and I set my stuff down on the kitchen counter. James didn’t seem to be anywhere downstairs.

I heard water running upstairs. Curious, I climbed the stairs to the second floor. The source of the sound seemed to be coming from Brett’s ‘guest room’. I looked around in the other rooms, unable to find James. Was he in the shower for some reason?

I walked into the guest room and started toward the bathroom door. And then, suddenly, I paused as James started singing at the top of his lungs. I couldn’t recognize the song, but I wasn’t really focused on it as much as I was the fact he was legitimately singing.

I’d heard James sing before, but in that jokingly-singing-a-song-in-an-annoying-voice way. Never in a serious, actually-trying-to-sing way.

Damn. James was actually amazing at singing.

I stood frozen to the ground next to the bathroom door, listening. He would pause every once in awhile, probably rinsing off or something, and then continue belting at the top of his lungs.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shower shut off, my cue to book it out of the room before he came out and realized I was there. I went downstairs, nestling myself into the corner of the couch, which was definitely in need of a wash.

Several minutes later, he came down the stairs, hair damp and face pink from the warm water. He jumped as he rounded the corner and saw me sitting there.

“Jesus, Aleksandr. You scared the shit out of me.” He held a hand to his chest, shaking his head as he came to sit next to me.

“Why are you using the shower here?” I questioned immediately. He rolled his eyes.

“The hot water at my place is broken. They aren’t coming to fix it until tomorrow. I figured I should shower here so you guys didn’t have to endure my stench all day.” he started to scroll through his phone, not looking at me.

“Ah, gotcha.” I nodded, looking away. He turned to me suddenly, eyes wide.

“How long have you been here?” He asked.

“Long enough.” I smirked, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. He paled for a moment, and then color surged back onto his face and he was bright red.

“Oh.”

There was silence between us for a moment. He wouldn’t look at me, face still red.

“You should think about making a singing channel.” I nudged him with my elbow. He groaned and covered his face with both hands. I laughed for a minute, enjoying the way he glared at me without any real heat in his eyes.

“You suck.” He muttered, but he was smiling. I patted him on the shoulder.

“Seriously, though, James, you’re pretty good at singing. I promise I won’t tell anybody… as long as you promise to sing to me in the shower soon.” I winked at him, reveling in the puzzled and shocked way he looked at me. I got up and left the room without another word.

“What does this mean?” He called after me.

“Why don’t you find out?” I teased over my shoulder. I paused at the bottom of the stairs, laughing as I heard him get up and walk quickly to follow me.  
“Let’s go, before the others get here.” He gave me a cheeky grin and pushed me up the stairs.

Let’s just say that Joe was pretty confused when he showed up and we were both toweling our hair off, faces red and lips swollen.


End file.
